


Lost at Sea *DSMP MER AU*

by SilverReedzo9



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Dream SMP Ensemble Angst, Dream Team SMP Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverReedzo9/pseuds/SilverReedzo9
Summary: Tommy had rescued Dream when he was a baby. His pod, a group of wild uncivilized mer, had abandoned him. Tommy had found him, fed him, treated his injuries, and had taken care of him ever since. Without Tommy, Dream would have starved to death.Dream didn't mind the fights or the showcases. Dream just wanted to be good for Tommy. Dream loved Tommy.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	1. Bloodied Waters

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Turn of the Tide](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29698962) by [SilverWing15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWing15/pseuds/SilverWing15). 



> In this AU, I decided to try something a little different. Adult Tommy is going to manipulate the crap out of child Dream. So that's fun! 

Dream swam across the bottom of the den floor, tail gently flicking. Dream was nervous.

He had a fight today. 

Patches, his pet fish, floated around him, playfully nipping at Dreams fingers. Dream smiled, gently pushing her away. 

Dream needed to focus. 

Tommy needed Dream to win.

Tommy told Dream that new investors were coming today. Tommy always liked new investors. Dream wanted to be good. 

Dream swam the length of the den, then lapped back. 

Dream's den was inside of Tommy's office. Tommy was kind enough to give up office space for Dream, and Dream was very appreciative. 

The den consisted of two areas, a little cave and an area that allowed Dream to look into Tommy's office.

Dream's cave was filled with little toys Tommy had given him over the years. Dream loved his toys. Coral grew up the side of the cave walls. Dream loved the extra color. 

The outside area had an open spot for Dream to swim, to showcase for investors. A small trapdoor led into the fighting arena. 

Dream didn't mind the showcases or the fights. 

Dream loved Tommy. 

Tommy had rescued Dream when he was a baby. His pod, a group of wild uncivilized mer, had abandoned him. Tommy had found him, fed him, treated his injuries, and had taken care of him ever since. Without Tommy, Dream would have starved to death.

A splash rippled through the water. 

Dream perked up. 

Tommy's here! 

Dream swam to the surface, find rippling in the water.

"Hey Dream!" Tommy greeted, ruffling Dreams wet hair.

Dream smiled. 

Tommy was in a good mood! 

"Hi Tommy!" Dream bowed his head, like he was supposed to.

Tommy smiled, offering Dream his hand.

Dream nuzzled into it, soaking in the affection. 

He kept his tail perfectly still, not wanting to splash Tommy. 

"Oh Dream," Tommy hummed. "To think how far we have come. Your ancestors were wild and uncivilized. But look at you, being my good little mer. My ancestors hunted you, and yet you and I live in harmony." 

Dream smiled. Dream loved hearing Tommy's stories. 

Tommy pulled away, and sat on the couch next to Dreams tank. 

"It's almost time for the fight. Will you win for me?" 

Dream had been fighting since he was young. He had never lost. He had seen what happened to those who lost. 

Dream felt a nervous chirp build up in the back of his throat. He carefully pushed it down. 

Mer made disgusting and uncivilized sounds. Tommy had trained Dream to be better than his instincts. To fight with his brain instead of his claws. To use words instead of silly chirps. 

When Dream messed up, Dream was punished. 

Dream just wanted to be good for Tommy. 

Dream nodded. 

"Words Dream." Tommy's tone shifted. 

"Yes. I'll win." Dream replied. 

Tommy seemed satisfied with the answer. 

Tommy checked his watch. 

"It's time." 

Dream dived, careful not to make a splash in the water. Dream positioned himself in front of the trapdoor, taking deep breaths. 

Another nervous chirp built up in his throat. 

No. Dream was better than his instincts. 

Dream was trying to be good. 

The trapdoor flew open, and Dream began to swim. The walls around him always seemed to suffocate him, pushing in to close. 

Dream kept his fins from flaring, keeping his body language neutral. 

He emerged from the tunnel into a small room. There, his supplies for the day sat. A sword, and of course, his mask. 

Dream wished they would be fighting with axes today, that was what he was best at, but he could handle himself with just about any weapon. 

Dream slid on his mask, a white circle with a black smile painted on the smooth surface. 

Tommy said that the mask was good for Dream, it helped distinguish him from the wild mer folk he would be fighting. It showed that Dream had power over his instincts. 

Dream grabbed the sword, grasping the hilt. Taking deep breaths, he positioned himself in front of the next trapdoor, waiting for it to open. 

The waiting was the hardest part. Dream felt his heart begin to race, a million sounds building up in his throat. Dream firmly swallowed, pushing them down. 

What was wrong with him today? 

He needed to be good. 

Dream fiddled with the loose scales on his tail. Light brown, like all young mer. The bottom of his tail, just above his fin, his symbol was burned into his skin. The same smile. Tommy had done it after Dream's first battle. He said it was the mark of the warrior, Tommy's mark. It showed everyone that Dream belonged to Tommy. 

Dream was so happy that Tommy wanted Dream to wear his symbol. Tommy was proud of Dream! 

Dream would be good for Tommy. 

Finally, the trapdoor flew open. 

Dream quickly swam through the small tunnel, finally reaching the arena. 

Dream had been in the arena a million times. 

Dream watched as two humans swam through the water, carrying the corpse of an adult mer. 

Everytime Dream fought, two wild mer would fight before him. The mer who won would fight Dream. The mer who lost would die in battle. 

The humans got out of the water, and Dream examined his surroundings. 

Dream did this everyday, to make sure nothing was out of place. The same quartz walls greeted him, pillars reaching to the sky. 

The arena was surrounded by glass, keeping the water and mer inside. 

Rows of chairs, like a theater, surrounded the outside of the arena. Some usual investors were present, some locals, but Dream focused on the new investors. 

Tommy was currently talking to two men. 

One wore a dark blue suit. Black hair poofed up from under a netherite helmet he was wearing. A netherite axe was at his side. A crossbow was strapped across his back. A blue face mask covered his mouth and nose.

The other wore a mustard yellow sweater and a red beanie. A bow was strapped across his back, and a sword hung at his side. Brown hair swept across his forehead. A red face mask covered his mouth and nose.

Things seemed to be going well, everyone was laughing. 

Dream made eye contact with the blue masked figure, and quickly looked away. 

Suddenly, the other trap door flew open. 

A wild mer emerged. 

The wild mer was muzzled and gagged, his fins flaring wildly. Chains kept the mer from immediately lunging at Dream. It was an adult male. Its tail shone with purples and blues. 

Dream sized him up.

The male held the sword with sloppy technique, but with a desperate will to live. He had clearly fought with a sword before but the fear pushed away his technique. 

The male was large enough to simply strangle Dream. Dream would need to keep out of reach of his hands, in case the mer decided to switch the sword out for his fists. 

The mer was leaning slightly to the left, favoring his right arm. 

Dream could hear Tommy's voice, explaining how the fights worked to the new investors. 

Dream remained perfectly still, waiting for his command to move. The wild mer thrashed against his chains, desperately trying to reach Dream. The wild mers eyes flashed around the room, desperately looking for any way to escape. 

Dream knew what it saw in return was a child mer, wielding a sword, wearing a mask. The mask was all that greeted him. Emotionless and deadly. 

"THREE!" 

Dream was startled out of his thoughts, but didn't show it. He kept perfectly skilled, keeping his fins and tail relaxed. 

"TWO!" 

Dream took a deep breath. He was ready. 

"ONE!"

The chains released the wild mer, who immediately launched towards Dream, sword raised. 

Dream ducked as the sword swung over his head, flipping over the wild mer. Dream slashed into the mers arm, who let out a muffled grunt of pain. 

The spectators clapped, laughing. 

Dream repositioned himself at the other side, waiting for the mer to charge, to waste his energy. 

The wild mer charged again, this time coming in lower. Their swords clashed, but Dream quickly disarmed the mer. 

Dream allowed the mer to scramble for his sword. 

Tommy would like this show. Tommy liked it when Dream played with his prey. 

The wild mer whipped around again, his hands trembling. 

This time Dream advanced. The mer tried to flee, but Dream slashed into the mers tail. 

The mer screamed, the gag only muffling the terrible sounds. 

Dream had been right, the wild mers scales in the middle of his tail had been weak. Dreams' swords had slashed through them. 

Blood filled the water. 

The audience clapped. 

Dream blocked out all other sounds. 

He pushed the sword farther into the tail. 

The mer withered in pain. 

The mers eyes found Dream's mask. They pleaded with him. For mercy, for surrender. 

The mer tried to get into the surrender position, but Dream pushed him back down. 

The mer tried to raise his sword, but Dreams met his weak strike with strength and agility. He pressed the blades closer to the mers neck. 

The mer rolled, launching himself over Dreams head. 

Dream slowly turned around, making his way towards the injured mer.

The blood filled the water. 

The injured mer clutched his tail to his chest, trying to protect his wound. 

Dream watched as the water surrounding the mer filled with blood. 

The mers bright blue eyes shone against the dark red of the blood. 

Dream hadn't noticed how stunning the mers eyes are. 

Dream approached slowly, gliding through the water. 

The wild mer was barely grasping his sword. 

Dream cleanly disarmed him, pressing his blade to the mers throat. 

Dream looked through the bloody water into the audience. 

He found Tommy's eyes. 

He waited. 

Tommy nodded.

Dream drove his sword into the mers chest. 

**** 

Dream was in the back room again, waiting for the trapdoor to open, to allow bin to get back into his den. 

Dream let the sword fall from his hands, falling into the sand. 

Dream tried to clean the blood off of his hands, off of his tail and fins. 

Dream ripped his mask off, heavily breathing. He held his face in his hands, trying to block out the image of the blue eyed mer. 

A small chirp of distress tried to escape him. Dream shook his head frantically, but it was winning the battle. Dream covered his mouth with his hands, trying to muffle the sound. 

The small chirp was as quiet as a leaf in the wind, but Dream froze as soon as it escaped him. 

Tommy would be mad if he heard it. 

Dream just wanted to be good. 

The trap door flew open. 

Dream quicky swam through the tunnel, back into his space. 

Tommy was waiting at the top of the tank, and splashed the water. 

Dream swam up to greet him, shaking slightly. 

Had he heard? 

"The new investors will be here any minute. Be good." Tommy whispered. 

Dream nodded, relieved. 

Tommy hadn't heard his terrible chirp. 

The last time Tommy had heard…. 

Dream blocked the memory out, swimming into his cave. 

Patches greeted him, swimming around him playfully. Dream stroked the fish gently, waiting to be called. 

"Hello! Welcome!" 

Dream heard Tommy greeting the new investors. 

"Did you enjoy the show?" 

"Very much so. We are very interested in your offer." 

"That is excellent! Would you like to see the champion?" 

"Yes!" 

The water rippled and Dream emerged from his den. He slowly swam up to the surface, keeping eye contact with the red masked one, who seemed to be the leader. 

He reached the surface, bowing his head. He waited for his next command. 

"This is Dream. He is a perfect example of what a mer can be when properly trained." Tommy smiled at the investors. Tommy nodded to Dream. 

Dream pulled himself out of the water. laying on his back in front of the investors. Dream kept his underbelly and throat exposed. He kept his tail perfectly still, his arms out in an act of surrender. 

Every instinct screamed at him to roll over, to run, to swim away, but Dream stayed where he was. 

Tommy pulled a dagger out of his pocket and held it to Dream's throat. Dream held perfectly still, allowing the blade to brush all the way down his throat. 

"Perfectly obedient." 

Tommy once again smiled. 

The blue masked investor froze, his eyes locked with Dream's. 

Dream could barely hold it any longer, every instinct screaming at him. 

Finally, Tommy nodded at Dream. 

Dream gently dove back into the water, not making a splash. 

Tommy led the investors to the back of the room, where he had some documents. 

Dream followed them as well as he could, trying to be good. 

Eventually, the investors turned to each other. 

"I think we will need to discuss this outside. We will be right back." The red masked figure said. 

Tommy froze momentarily, before smiling again. 

"Alright! I'll be waiting." Tommy said cheerfully. 

The two investors nodded and then left the room. 

As soon as the door closed, Tommy began rummaging around the room, cursing. 

He threw some weapons and food into a bag, slinging it over his shoulder. 

Tommy splashed the water. 

Dream quickly swam up, confused. This normally never happened. 

"Dream, listen to me. I have to go. Those people are very bad. Do not speak to them. I will come back for you." Tommy's tone was harsh, and Dream flinched slightly. "If you speak to them, I will know. I will find you, and punish you. Understand?" 

Dream nodded, then caught himself. 

"Yes." 

"Be good Dream." Tommy rubbed his hand against Dream's cheek. Dream leaned into Tommy's warm hand. 

Voices filled the hallway. 

Tommy pulled away, ripping back a section of carpet in between the couches. There was a ladder hidden there. Tommy quickly climbed down it, covering it back up with the carpet. 

Dream watched Tommy until he disappeared. 

Suddenly, the door to the office flew open. Around a dozen people rushed into the room, crossbows loaded. 

Dream made eye contact with the blue masked figure. 

Dream quickly dived, hiding in his cave. He cradled Patches closely to his chest. 

Who were these people?

Where was Tommy? 

What was going to happen to him?


	2. Scratches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreams eyes flickered back and forth between the two. He had no escape route. He had no weapons. Where was his mask? He wasn't supposed to fight humans. Where was Tommy? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Blood, self harm, child manipulation, shots

Wilbur sighed. 

Somehow, in the few minutes he and Skeppy had gone to get back up, Tommy had escaped. 

The authorities swarmed the room. Wilbur would rather have them leave, but they insisted on being here to examine the scene. 

They bustled around, searching for evidence, taking notes, searching for Tommy. 

They were making Will's job ten times harder. 

Wilbur finished talking to the head of the police department, and after a quick debate, managed to convince the police to leave temporarily. A few security guards lingered, but they were from the sanctuary and had worked with Wilbur in the past, so he didn't mind. They stayed quiet and alert, ready to act in a worst case scenario. 

Wilbur walked up to Skeppy, who was standing to the side, out of everyone's way. He was shifting from side to side, tapping his finger against his leg anxiously. 

Skeppy was an apprentice at the sanctuary, still learning about being a protector and caretaker. He showed promise, but there was no way he could handle a case like this. 

"Skeppy, I need you to grab the cooler of fish from the van. I don't know how hungry this mer will be." Wilbur said, keeping his voice down. 

"M'kay." Skeppy glanced worriedly towards the tank. "This is bad, isn't it? Like, really bad." 

Wilbur nodded. 

Wilbur was trying to keep his composure, to keep in his fury. He could sort through his own mixed emotions later. 

Wilbur hated scouting. Watching the fights, collecting information. 

But today had been different. 

Today had been terrible. 

Watching Dream, such a young mer, out of the water, underbelly exposed in surrender, knife circling his throat, made Wilbur sick. 

"Okay. I'll be back." Skeppy turned and left, secretly grateful for a distracting task. 

Skeppy had only been out on two other missions. One had involved an arena fight, the other was a much simpler case. 

Neither had prepared him for today. 

Wilbur watched Skeppy leave, then turned to the tank. He sat cross legged near the edge, gazing into the water. The young mer had not emerged from his cave, not made a single chirp, croon, trill, or rumble. 

"Hey buddy. Dream, was it? How are you doing today?" 

Dream froze. 

He had curled himself up into a ball, as far back into his cave as possible. The sharp edges of the rocks dug into Dreams skin, but he didn't care. 

Where was Tommy? 

What was going on? 

"My name is Wilbur, and I'm here to help you. Can you come out for me?" 

Dream pressed himself farther into the rock. The sharp edges cut into his skin, and droplets of blood filled the water. 

Tommy had always warned him. How some humans hated mers. How they hunted his kind and slaughtered them mercilessly. 

Tommy wasn't like that. 

Tommy was kind. 

Tommy had protected Dream. 

Where was Tommy? 

Dream just wanted to be good for Tommy. 

Tommy didn't want Dream to talk to these people. 

Suddenly, the water above him rippled.

Tommy was calling for him! 

Dream pushed away from the rock, quickly swimming out of his cave. He was halfway to the surface when he made eye contact with the red masked investor. 

He had taken off his mask, and was smiling at Dream. 

"Hello! I'm Wilbur." 

Dream darted back into his cave.

He had messed up. 

He had made a mistake.

Tommy was going to punish him. 

He wasn't supposed to go to those people. 

Dream dug his claws into his arms, breaking the skin. 

Blood filled the water as Dream pressed harder and harder. 

Dream felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt as if the blood was choking him. 

Tommy was going to be so upset. 

Dream just wanted to be good.

Dream dug his claws in farther. 

"Is- is that blood? Dream, are you okay?" 

Dream covered his ears, trying to block out the voices. 

A distressed chirp escaped him, but he quickly muffled it.

Why was he behaving this way? 

Dream was better than this. 

Tommy had taught him to do better than this. 

Dream was bad. 

Tommy would be upset. 

"Dream I'm going to drain the water. We just want to make sure you're okay." 

The voice sounded worried. 

Why was it worried? 

Dream felt the water around him slowly drain, until Dream was only shoulders deep in water. 

A gentle splashing sound, and Dream froze. 

Tommy was coming to punish him.

Dream had been bad. 

The investor, Wilbur, came into view. 

He stayed well out of the cave, giving Dream plenty of space. 

Wilbur inhaled sharply at the scene before him. 

Dream, the young mer, back pressed against the cave rocks. Claws digging into his arms, blood pooling in the water around him. He was completely still, his fins and tail unmoving. Silent. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were full of panic. 

"Dream, can you please stop scratching yourself? I'm sure that doesn't feel very good." 

Wilbur could barely keep the tension out of his voice. 

What had Tommy done to him? 

When Will spoke, Dream froze, his breathing abruptly stopped. 

Dream's claws dig deeper into his arms. 

Where was Tommy? 

Tommy would protect him.

Wilbur cleared his throat, and then rumbled softly. 

Dream stared at him in shock. 

Dream felt his muscles instinctively loosen. He wanted to go to Wilbur. He wanted to be safe. 

The rumbles promised safety, comfort. 

Dream almost responded, but then snapped out of it, clawing at his arms furiously. The skin tore away under the impact of his claws, but Dream didn't stop.

Dream was better than this! 

Dream was good. 

Dream had to be good for Tommy. 

The sounds were bad. 

The sounds were bad. 

Dream was bad. 

Dream deserved to be punished. 

Wilbur abruptly stopped the rumble, backing up in alarm. For a moment, it had looked as if Dream had calmed down. But now here the young mer was, shredding his skin to bits with his claws. 

"Skeppy? Skeppy?" Wilbur could barely keep the desperation out of his voice. 

"Yeah Will?"

"I need a med kit. Right now." Wilbur said, staring in horror at the blood surrounding Dream.

Wilbur heard scrambling from above, and then Skeppy tossed him the medkit. Wilbur caught it, then turned to Dream. 

Should he risk another rumble? It could calm him down, or it could send Dream into another panic. 

Wilbur opened the kit, rummaging through it. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Wilbur pulled out the needle, keeping it carefully hidden from Dream. 

Wilbur hated knocking mer out, but this was an extreme case. Quite frankly, Will had no idea what to do. Dream was such an extreme case. He needed to be taken to the sanctuary immediately, but would not go willingly. 

Wilbur took a careful step towards Dream. 

"Skeppy, can you come down here? I may need some back up." 

Wilbur kept his tone casual, keeping his eyes trained on Dream. 

Skeppy jumped in with a quiet splash, landing besides Wilbur. 

"Hey Dream, my name is Skeppy! I'm here with Wilbur." Skeppy said, fighting hard to keep the anxiety out of his voice. 

The blood pooling in the water around Dream made him nervous. How hurt was he? 

Dreams eyes flickered back and forth between the two. He had no escape route. He had no weapons. Where was his mask? He wasn't supposed to fight humans. Where was Tommy? 

"Dream I'm going to come a little closer. Can I do that?" Wilbur took a hesitant step forward. 

An anxious chirp, barely audible, filled the air. It took Wilbur a moment to realize that Dream had made the sound. 

The chirp sounded strangled, muffled, as if Dream was trying to restrain the sound. 

Dream shook his head frantically.

He was being bad. 

Dream was bad. 

Where was Tommy? 

Dream should be punished.

Skeppy flinched at the sound of the chirp. No mers chirp should sound like that. So painful, restrained. 

Wilbur and Skeppy exchanged a glance, both increasingly worried. 

Wilbur prepared himself. 

There was no way they could get close to Dream with his permission. 

Wilbur passed Skeppy the medkit, keeping the needle in his hands, hidden behind his back. 

Dream watched as the humans exchanged something. Dream felt like he couldn't breathe. He was hyperventilating, each breath shallow and quick. 

Wilbur rumbled again. 

Against Dreams will, his muscles loosened. The rumble promised safety. Dream bit his tongue to keep from responding, then curled up into a ball, clutching his tail to his chest. 

Dream couldn't breathe. 

The blood was choking him. 

Where was Tommy? 

The rumble got louder as Wilbur got closer. 

Dream refused to look up, trembling as the rumble got louder. 

Every instinct wanted him to respond, to relax, to go to the sound. It promised safety. 

Wilbur looked down at the trembling mer. 

"This is going to sting a little bit." Wilbur warned. 

Dream whipped his head up, prepared for a fight. Pressing farther into the rock, he blindly scratched with his claws. 

Wilbur quickly administered the shot, but it was too late. Dreams claws had raked into his arm. 

Dream felt dizzy. His breathing slowed slightly. Dream slowly relaxed his claws, unwinding from the tight ball he had curled himself into. 

"That's a good boy." Wilbur clicked. 

Dream was good? 

Everything went black. 

**** 

Skeppy was way in over his head. That was an under exaggeration. Skeppy was drowning in his inexperience. 

While watching the fight, all he could do was stare. He had watched as two wild mer tore each other to pieces. The muzzles and gags had made Skeppy sick. Then they brought in Dream. 

Dream, a child mer, fighting a full grown adult. Skeppy had almost given them away as false investors with his body language. He had gone taught, and could only stare at the masked mer child. 

He watched as Dream toyed with the wild mer. Slowly killing him. He watched as Tommy gave Dream the signal, and watched as Dream drove his sword into the wild mers chest. 

Then Skeppy watched the nightmare of a showcase. Skeppy watched as Dream lay perfectly still, perfectly "obedient" with a knife circling his throat. 

Now, Skeppy watched as Wilbur administered the panicked mer a shot, blood pooling in the water around the two of them. 

Skeppy knew that he shouldn't be here. Someone with more experience should have taken this case, but no one had expected it to be this bad. 

If any apprentice should have come, if should have been Bad. 

Bad could have been a lot more helpful. Bad could have helped Wilbur. 

But Bad wasn't here, and Skeppy tried his best. 

"Skeppy, c'mere." Wilbur called him. 

Skeppy waded over to him. 

Wilbur was clutching Dream to his chest, cradling the young sleeping mer in his arms. 

"Can you prepare the van? We need to move him immediately." Wilbur told him, glancing worriedly at Dream. 

Blood was soaking into Wilburs shirt, from his injuries and Dreams, but he didn't care. They needed to move him. This young mer needed help. 

Skeppy nodded, leaving Wilbur in the water with Dream. 

Wilbur listened to Dreams breathing. It was still taught, as if he were panicking even in his sleep. His fins had relaxed which was a good sign. He even looked peaceful, if you ignored the blood covering him. He looked nothing like the panicked child Wilbur had cornered a moment before. 

Wilbur sighed, pulling Dream closer. Will hated cornering scared mer, but there had been no other options. This…. fish tank was too small. Wilbur felt fury fill him. 

Tommy, that fucking monster, kept a child mer in a fish tank. He forced him into arena fights, forced him to kill his own kind. Tommy made him "perfectly obedient." 

If Will ever crossed paths with Tommy, he was going to fucking kill him. 

Wilbur examined the tank. Some toys, some coral, and…. a fish. 

A little green and blue fish, hiding in the far corner, as far away from the bloodied water as possible. 

Wilbur sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Partly out of fury, partly out of sadness. 

Dreams only company had been Tommy, who had tortured him, a bunch of toys, and a fish. 

Skeppy reentered the room, a police officer trying to stop him. 

"We need to examine the-" the office began, but Skeppy cut him off. 

"We need to keep this young mer alive. Are you stupid enough to get in the way of that?" Skeppy hissed, trying to keep his voice down. 

"We are not trying to interfere-" the officer tried again, still blocking Skeppy. 

"Well you are! Get out of my way. We just need to move this mer, then you can continue with your stupid investigation. Okay?" Skeppy pushed past the officer, and walked over to the tank. 

Wilbur had wandered out of the cave, and was holding Dream in the open area, waiting for Skeppy. 

Wilbur raised an eyebrow at the interaction. "Good job getting him out of the way, but maybe avoid calling him stupid next time." 

"Sorry. He was an idiot." Skepoy sighed, frustrated. "The van is ready." Skeppy turned the conversation back to the problem at hand. 

"Okay, good. I'm going to pass him to you, then I'll come up." Wilbur told him. "Be ready to support his weight. Be careful of his arms, they are pretty scratched up." 

Skeppy nodded, and extended his arms. 

"Three, two, one." 

Wilbur passed Dream to Skeppy. 

Skeppy remained seated on the floor, cradling Dream in his lap. 

The sleeping mer didn't stir at the movement. That was good, the shot was doing its job. 

Wilbur pulled himself up, and took Dream back from Skeppy, standing up. 

Skeppy opened the door for him, and cleared a path through the authorities. 

Wilbur didn't pay attention to what Skeppy was saying, but he did catch glimpses of stupid, idiot, and muffin head. 

How charismatic. 

Finally, they reached the van. Skepoy flung the doors open, lowering the ramp for Wilbur.

Will took Dream over to the bed, laying him down. 

The bed was more of a hammock suspended in water. Dream shuddered slightly, and then relaxed. 

"How long should the shot last?" Skeppy asked. 

"A couple of hours. We should be able to get him into a recovery pod by then." Wilbur said, bustling through medical equipment. "Shit, where did I put the bandages?" 

"Here." Skepoy passed him a roll of waterproof bandages and some spray to clean the wounds. 

"Thanks. Can you go grab his toys from the tank? He's probably attached to them. Also grab the fish. I'm sure it was one of his only friends in that hell hole." Wilbur fought to keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

"Fish? Sure!" 

Skeppys eyes lit up at the mention of a fish. Wilbur knew that Bad and Skepoy kept a few in their dorm room, and that they loved them to pieces. He trusted Skeppy to take care of Dream's fish. 

Skeppy hurried out of the van, an empty container and small fish tank in hand. Where he even found the fish tank was a mystery to Wilbur, but he had bigger fish to fry. 

Wilbur turned to Dream. Will hated seeing mer like this, his arms bloody and scratched into oblivion. Quickly, he sprayed the scratches, wincing when he saw how deep they were. Even in his sleep, Dream flinched when the spray stung, his breathing quickening. 

Wilbur rumbled, and Dream slowly relaxed, his breathing slowing slightly and fins releasing some of their tension. 

Wilbur quickly bandaged them, and Skeppy returned with the fish and toys. 

"Alright. You ready to head back?" Wilbur asked. 

Skeppy nodded. 

"Can you drive? I need to make sure that Dream's okay." Wilbur asked. 

"Sure thing Will." Skeppy set the toys down, and climbed into the driver seat. Putting the fish bowl in his lap, he admired the little green fish. 

Skeppy started the van, Wilbur began to rumble, trying to keep Dream peacefully asleep.

Skeppy pulled out of the parking lot, sighing to himself. 

Time to head back to the Sanctuary. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww Wilburs sweet, Skeppys trying his best, and Dream is.... well.... doing terribly. 
> 
> Child manipulation pogggg

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
